Bottle cap-making and applying machine



Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ET AL BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1932 13 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ATTORNEY Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ET AL 2,096,346

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1932 15 Sheets-Sheet 2 \x f I g o N nn 0 M K & m! Q 3 [1 g Q I hklllno S mvzmorrz v ./V=M

Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ET AL 2,096,345

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1352 13 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY 'Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ET. AL 2,096,346

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1932 15 sheets-sheet 4 SJ Md NVENTORS ATTORN EY Oct. 19, 1937. J, I; SHARP; AL 2,096,346-

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE ATTORNEY Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SH ARP ET 'AL ,096,34

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1932 13 Sheets-Sheet 6 ATTORNEY Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP m- AL 2,096,346

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE A'ITORN EY Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ET AL 2,096,346

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan 11, 1932 l3 Sheets-Sheet 8 M 65 62 :1 l I: 7 d6 I :1 l s I C "I: 85" at J; 2

' INVENTORS ATTORNEY Oct. 19, 1937. SHARP Er AL 2,096,346

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND ,APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1932 l3 Sheets-Sheet 9 Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ET AL 2,096,346

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1952 13 Sheets-Sheet 10 E ymzzw .1 MZMZZM W ATTORNEY 0a. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ETAL 2,096,346

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1932 13 Sheets-Sheet 11 4. MA INVENTORS Zm/fifl/ ATTORN EY Oct. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ET AL BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE 13 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Jan. 11, 1952 INVENTORS ATTORN'EY 0a. 19, 1937. J. E. SHARP ET AL. 2,

BOTTLE CAP MAKING AND APPLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1952 l5 Sheets$heet 13 F 111 I III I ll l I In In I/ m" .m-m l iiiiiii; iEii=i j I soil W82 i Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John E. Sharp, New Kensington. and Max M.

Kipfer, Arnold, Pa.,

assignors to Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 11, 1932, Serial No. 585,910

41 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for making and applying caps to bottles, andmore particularly to a machine for making caps of metal foil and applying the caps to bottles, all in a continuous series of operations, and still more particularly to a machine for making and applying caps to bottles, adapted to be used in combination with a machine for filling bottles.

The invention contemplates making the caps of relatively thin, fragile metal foil, and it will be appreciated that, although it would not be impossible to manufacture such caps on one machine and take a relatively small number of such caps and put them in another independent machine for the purpose of applying them and sealing them on bottles, it would not be found practical to follow such a procedure in rapid and continuous production on account of the ease with which the fragile caps would become crushed, distorted, mutilated or torn'if handled rapidly from stacks, hoppers or other automatic means.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a unitary machine which manufactures bottle caps of thin metal foil and effectively seals them on bottles in a continuous series of operations so as to avoid risk of distorting or tearing the comparatively fragile caps.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically stopping the manufacture of caps in the event of failure in the supply of bottles, and further, to have the cap-applying and sealing mechanism continue to function so that such filled bottles as are on their way to the cap-applying and sealing mechanism will have caps from a reserve supply applied thereto and sealed; and further, to automatically again start the cap manufacturing part of themachine as soon as an additional supply of bottles reaches a certain place on their way toward the cap-applying and sealing mechanism.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the machine can be quickly and efiectively adjusted to accommodate different sizes of bottles.

The above and other objects and advantages will appear from the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the cap-making and applying machine in combination with a bottlefllling machine;

Figure 2 is a right side view of the clutch trip lever and certain related parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the entire machine shown in Figure 1;

gure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the capmaking and applying machine shown in Figure 1 with some parts omitted;

Figure 5 is a vertical section of the cap-making and applying machine taken on line 5l of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the sealing head mechanism;

Figure 7 is a partial section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6 showing the bottle size-adjusting mechanism of the cap-sealing mechanism;

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 6 showing one of the cap-sealing units;

Figure 9 is an underside plan view of the segmental ring die member shown in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a sectional view of the segmental ring die member taken on line lill of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken on line lI-l l of Figure 12, showing the transmission box drive mechanism;

Figure 12 is a rear elevation of the cap-making and applying machine;

Figure 13 is a vertical section on the line I l-i3 of Figure showing the clutch mechanism;

Figure 14 is a horizontal section on the line I l-44 of Figure 12 showing the cross-drive for the bottle-filling machine;

Figure 15 is an enlarged vertical section of the cap-cutting and shaping die taken on line lB-l 5 of Figure 4;

Figure 16 is a vertical longitudinal section of the cap-embossing die with the cap-positioning guide and kick-out lever shown in relation thereto;

Figure 17 is an elevation viewed from the right of the cap-embossing positioning guide and kickout lever in Figure 16;

Figures 18, 19, 20, and 21 are front, right side, rear, and left side views, respectively, of the foil feed drive and scrap-cutting mechanism;

Figure 22 is an elevation of the cap-applying positioning mechanism;

Figure 23 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 23-23 of Figure 22;

Figure 24 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2l24 of Figure 22 showing a bottle about to receive a cap from the cap-applying positioning mechanism;

Figures 25 and 26 show further steps in the progress of the placing of a cap on a bottle moving past the cap-applying. positioning mechanism;

Figure 27 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the progress of the foil strip;

Figure 28 is a plan view of the reciprocating bottle conveyor;

Figure 29 is an elevation of Figure 28;

Figure 30 is an enlarged detail view of the upper left portion of Figure 5, showing the foil slack-producing roller, drag, and safety shut-oil mechanism; I

Figure 31 is a diagrammatic representation of the motor control switch operated in response to failure of the foil strip;

Figure 32 is a diagrammatic plan view of the strip together with the caps in their carrying position; and

Flgure 33 is a longitudinal section of Figure 32.

The cap-making and applying machine illustratedin the drawings is a self-contained machine or unit and comprises a material-supply station, a cap-punching and forming station, a cap-embossing or printing station, a materialfeeding and scrap-cutting station. a cap chute and cap-applying station, and a cap-sealing station. The material-supply station comprises a reel for holding a roll or coil of metal foil strip from which the caps are to be made. This foil strip is intermittently pulled past the cap-punching and forming station and the cap-embossing or printing station, a cap being punched and formed while the strip is at rest and remaining in the hole in the strip from which it was punched, whereupon the formed cap is pulled along by the later feedmovement of the strip and permitted to fall down -a guide into the mechanism at the embossing or printing station. After being embossed or printed, the cap is pushed into a cap chute where it rolls on its annular edge down the cap chute to the capapplying station where it is automatically placed on the top of a filled bottle moving past beneath the cap. The filled bottle with a cap resting on its top moves on to the sealing station where the cap is sealed, after which the capped bottle is removed from the sealing station. Commercial strip aluminum .0035" in thickness is very satisfactory for the caps, but other metals or metals faced with paper or some other material may also be used, in which latter case caps would be produced lined with paper or some other suitable material.

Filled bottles may be brought to the cap-making and applying machine by hand or in any other desired way. The cap-making and applying machine illustrated in the drawings is particularly adapted to be used in combination with any suitable filling machine and arranged with a, common drive means for both machines, so that empty bottles are conveyed to the filling machine where they are filled and are then conveyed to the cap-applying station and then to the cap-sealing station, all the operations, including the making of the caps, being automatic and interrelated by means of the common drive means.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the cap-making and applying machine I comprises a main frame or housing 33 (Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 12) on which is secured a bracket 34 (Figures 1, 3, 4, and 5) with open bearings 35 (Figures 4 and 5) holding a reel 36 containing a coil or roll of foil 31 which passes underneath a gravity-actuated, slack-providing roller 38 (Figures 5, 2'7, and 30) having pintles 39 which slide in slots 4|) of bearing arms 4| secured to the bracket 34. The foil strip 31 then passes under a felt drag pad 42, which drag felt is secured to a drag arm 43 attached to a pivot shaft 44 having its arm 45 pulled downward by a spring 45 attached at 41 to the bracket 34. The shaft 44 is provided on one end with a handle 48 by which the drag felt 42 can be raised against the action of the spring 45 off of the foil strip. The strip then passes between two rollers 49 on arms 50, having the rollers pressed toward each other bya spring 5!. The arms 50 are connected to a switch-operating shaft 52. By virtue of the drag felt 42 and the foil feed means to be later described, the foil strip is normally held substantially straight, as shown in Figure 30, where it passes between the rollers 49. Should the foil break or the supply of foil otherwise fail at this point, the rollers 49 and the arms 50 would swing down to rotate the shaft 52 (Figures 30 and 31) to shut oi the electric current to the motor 5 by means of suitable known mechanism. This mechanism may comprise an arm 52a (Figure 31), which may be secured to the shaft 52, and is adapted to engage a pair of contacts 52b for completing the circuit through leads 52c to a suitable motor control relay (not shown), which is adapted to interrupt the operation of the motor when the contacts 521:- are closed by suitable rotation of the shaft 52. A block 53 acts as a. stop to limit the downward movement of the rollers 49.

The foil then passes to a cap-punching or capshearing and-cap-forming station comprising a frame 54 (Figures 1, 4, 5, and 15) bolted on the main frame 33, which frame 54 may be made integral as shown, or in separate upper and lower parts bolted together to facilitate machining, if so desired. Secured on the lower portion of the frame 54 is a slotted, tapered bushing 55 adapted to be thrust upwardly for adjustment by means of a nut 56 and locked securely in adjustment by means of a pull nut 51. The bushing 55 is prevented from turning by means of a screw 58 engaging in a longitudinal slot 59. A lower punch 60' is mounted to reciprocate in the bushing 55 by means of a pitman 6i (Figure 5) connected to the lower end of the punch at 62 in a manner that will be later described. A fixed knock-out plunger 63 is located in a central bore in the lower punch 60 and has an opening 64 through which extends transversely a bar or key 65, which has its opposite ends seated in holes in the lower portion 66 of the frame 54, and may be held in position by cotter-pins 61 in its opposite ends. The punch 60 has an elongated hole 68 which permits it to reciprocate a suificient distance to perform its functions. The opening 64 in the knock-out plunger 63 is preferably made .slightly longer than the width of the key 65 so as to permit the plunger to seat properly in the punch 60 when the punch moves to its extreme upper position. Secured to the upper portion of the frame 54 is a bearing support 69 in which is secured a slotted, tapered bushing 10 thrust downward into the desired adjusted position by a screw ring II and locked in adjustment by a pull nut 12. The bushing is locked against rotation by a screw 13 engaging in a longitudinal slot 14 in the bushing. A punch ring 15 is mounted on the frame 54 and has seated therein a backing ring 16 normally held pressed downward in the position shown, by means of a spring 11, the pressure of which can be adjusted by means of a ring 18 forced downward by pins 19 engaged by an adjusting nut 80. A ram 8! reciprocates within the bushing 10 and backing ring 16. The ram. 8| is connected at 82 to an arm 83 pivoted at 84 to a post 85 secured to or formed integral with the frame 54, as desired. The arm ,83 is connected at 85 to a vertical reciprocating rod 31 (Figures 3, 12, and having a spring 88 at its upper end adapted to yield when the rod 81 has caused the ram BI to move to its lowermost position.

In operation, when the intermittently fed strip of foil is at rest between the upper and lower members of the cap-punching and forming mechanism, the lower punch G0 first moves upward, presses the foil against the backing ring 16, thus gripping the foil between these two members, and continues upward, forcing the ring 16 upward back from the shearing edge 89 of the punch ring I5, thus punching a circular blank from the foil strip. While the blank is thus gripped between the punch 60 and the backing ring 16 with the punch in its uppermost position, the ram 0| moves downwardly and forces the center area of the blank down into the bore 90 of the punch 60 and pulls the'entire blank from between the punch and the backing .ring, thus forming the cap with a flange extending in a vertical direction. The ram BI then moves upwardly and the punch 60 moves downwardly. Inasmuch as the knock-out plunger 63 remains in a fixed position continuously, the downward movement of the punch 60 results in the formed cap being lifted out of the bore 30 by means of the knockout plunger 03.

The flanged cap is left within the hole in the foil strip from which it was punched and, therefore, when the foil is given its next forward step movement, the cap is fed thereby (see Figures 32 and 33). In this manner the cap is slid along through a guide 9| (Figures 16 and 27) until it reaches an opening 32 in the lower surface of the guide, where it falls through, as indicated. by the dotted outline of the cap at 03, against a guide plate 04, gradually turning from its original horizontal position to a vertical position and passing downward in the embossing or printing guide 35 with the lower portion of its annular edge resting on the surface 86' (Figure 17) of the knock-out arm or lever 38 and with its side edges between the side surface 31 of the knock-out arm or lever and a finger 38 which is pivoted at 33. The guide 95 has aligned openings in its opposite faces at I00, through which the embossing or printing operations are performed on the cap.

In the form of the device illustrated in Figures 16 and 17. a die holder MI is secured to the main frame 33 of the machine in any suitable way, with a centering ring I02 resting in aligned bores I03 In the die holder and main frame. Mounted to slide horizontally in the die holder I 0| is a die" block I04 adapted to be slid horizontally into position from the right of Figure 1'1- and held in position by a locking pin I05. A handle I06 which is secured to the die block I04 permits ready insertion and removal of the die block from the right side of Figure 17 or the left side of Figure 1. The die block I04 is provided with a bore or opening I01 at the end nearest the guide 35 and .with an enlarged counterbore I08 forming an annular shoulder I09. Mounted to slide within the bores I01 and I08 is a backing block III having a recess 0' in its outer end, in which Is seated a rubber counter or backing member I I I. A spring II2 engages between the backing block H0 and an adjusting screw ring II3, having a slot I I4, which may be engaged for adjustment by a screw driver inserted through the aligned bores II5. At the other side of the guide 35 an embossing punch I I6, having embossing or printing means I I1 at its front end, is mounted in a die block II! adapted to he slid into and out of position in a die holder II9, the same as described for the die block I04. By having the die blocks thus removable from the left of Figure 1, and by placing a second cap-making and applying machine to the left of Figure 1 with a suitable space between the two machines and with the die blocks of the second machine constructed so as to be removable from the right of the second machine, it is possible for an operator to stand in the space between the two machines and have easy access to the embossing dies of both machines. The die block H8 is held locked in position by a removable pin I20. The die holder H0 is secured to an embossing ram I2I by a screw means I22. The embossing ram I2Freciprocates within a bushing I23 in the main frame 33.

In operation, the embossing punch IIG moves forward through the opening I00 and presses the top of the cap against the rubber backing member or counter I I I which yields to conform to the shape of the punch, thus producing the desired -lettering on the cap. The punch then withdraws from the guide 35, whereupon the kick-out arm or lever 36 moves to the left (Figure 17) and its surface 31 pushes the cap against the pivoted finger 08 and causes the latter to be swung outwardly to permit the cap to be pushed into the cap chute I24 (Figures 1, 3, and 4), the top surface 91' of the kick-out lever 86 preventing the next cap from falling into operative position until the lever 06 returns to the position shown in Figure 1'1. 'A plate I25 (Figures 16 and 1'1) is secured by screws I26 to the main frame 33 to cover an opening I21 in the frame. This plate I25 has a slot. I28 of sufficient width and length to permit the knock-out arm 86 to freely oscillate back and forth to perform its functions. Mounted on top of the plate I25 is a second plate I29 having an opening I30 just sufliciently large to accommodate the knock-out arm 36. This -lates back and forth, no substantial opening exists about the lever 06.

As the finished caps are successively pushed into the chute I24 which slopes downwardly, the caps roll on their edges by gravity through the chute and into a cap-applying head or slide I32 (Figures 1, 3, 4 and 22 to 26). The slide I32 is mounted for vertical adjustment within the body member I33 attached to the main frame 33 by means of a bracket I34. A cap 93 normally rests edgewise on the two spaced ledges I55 in the lower end of the head or slide I32 with the lower end I35 of the cap exposed through a recessed portion I36 of the chute so as to be engaged by a bottle I31 moving past the lower end of the chute from right to left (Figures 24, 25, 26). The capapplying slide I32 has an opening I38 along its right edge (Figure 23) through which the caps enter the hollow interior of the slide from the chute I24. The slide is held in various positions of vertical adjustment to accommodate different sizes of bottles by means'of a spring-pressed looking pin I39 adapted to engage in any one of a plurality of'holes I 40 in the slide. To prevent bottle caps from falling out through the opening I38 when the slide is in its lower adjusted positions, doors I and I42 are pivotally mounted on a shaft I43 and normally held closed by means of. springs I 44 and I45. When the slide is to be moved upward for adjustment, one or more of position on the top of the bottle. As the rollers the doors I, I42 are swung outwardly against the action of the springs, the locking pin is pulled out of the hole it occupies, and the slide is pushed upward until the proper hole I40 arrives in position to receive the locking pin I39 with one or more of the doors I, I42 resting against the body member I33. The lower portion of the slide I32 has a pair of spaced arms I46 (Figures 23 to 26) preferably having machined inner faces or pads I41 to form smooth surfaces for the ends of rollers I48, I49 and I50, which have pintles at their ends sliding respectively in slots I5I, I52, and I53. The roller I49 has a central, annular, reduced portion I54. The lower rear end of the slide-is cut away at I 56 so that the roller I48 constitutes the means for holding the cap 93 in posi-' tion to be engaged by a bottle I31 moving to the left. As the bottle I31 moves to the left, it first engages the lower portion of the cap 93, rocking the lower portion of the cap outward and successively pushing rollers I48 and I49 upward in their retaining slots, with the roller I48 acting as a yieldable fulcrum about which the cap rotates until it passes below the edge I58 (Figure 26) of the slide I32, when the cap is gently placed in I48 and I49 are of light weight, theygently engage the fragile cap and gently place it upon the bottle. As the bottle continues its movement, it is engaged by the heavier cylindrical roller I50 which presses the cap on the top edge of the bottle. While any desired form of bottle and cap may be used, those disclosed in the patent to Sharp et al. No. 1,796,729, March 17, 1931, constitute preferred forms.

As the bottles I31 are moved along two at a time by a reciprocating conveyor as will be later described, they first have the caps placed thereon at the cap-applying station, as just described, and then move along to the cap sealing station where the caps are firmly sealed on two bottles at a time.

The bottles to be sealed rest on wear plates I 59 (Figure 7) which in turn rest upon supporting members I60 yieldably pressed upward by springs I6I (Figures 3,5, 6, and 7) and which members I60 have guide shafts I62 slidable in the main frame 33. A sealing head I63 is bolted to a slide I64 having a nut I 65 threadedly engaging the vertical screw shaft I66. The nut I65 carries a bevel gear I61 meshing with a bevel gear I68 on a shaft I69 adapted to be rotated by a crank I 10 to turn the nut I65 to adjust the sealing head I63 up or down as desired. At its lower end, the screw shaft I66 has a strap I1I surrounding an eccentric I12 secured on a shaft 28I by means of which the screw shaft I66 receives vertical reciprocating motion.

As the sealing head I63 has two identical sets of parts by which two bottles are sealed by one downward movement of the sealing head, only one of these sets of parts will be described. In the sealing head I63 an adjustable screw-threaded bushing I13 (Figure 8) is adapted to be held in adjusted position by a screw I14 engaging in a slot I15. Through the bushing I13 extends a sealing plunger I16 having a spring I 11 engaging between the bushing I13 and a collar I18 on the sealing plunger to normally hold the sealing plunger in its upper position. The enlarged lower portion of the sealing plunger I16 has an annular beveled surface I19 engaging the beveled surface I of a segmental ring I8I (Figures 8, 9, and 10) comprising a plurality of separate segments I82, each segment having an oil reservoir I83 with a ing I13. Pivotally swinging the bumper block.200

I passage I94 leading to the beveled surface I to provide lubrication between the sliding beveled surfaces I80 and .I19. The reservoir I83 preferably contains an absorbent fibrous material adapted to retain a quantity of oil and supply it gradually as needed. The lower surfaces I of the segments rest upon a retaining ring I66 and have slots I81 slidably engaging pins I88 secured in the retaining ring I86. The segmental ring has an annular channel I99 within which fits a rubber slde-pressureor sealing ring I90. A top pressure ring I9l of rubber is supported adjacent the rubber ring I90 by means of a pressure head I92 screw-threadedly connected to studs I93 which extend upward through the enlarged portion of the sealing plunger I16 into engagement with a pressure ring I94 resting againstthe bushmounted at I95 (Figures 1, 4, 5, and 6) in lugs I96 on the sealing'head I83 is a rocker arm I 91 having an adjustably secured bolt I96 for engagement with the top of the sealing plunger I16. Secured to the side of the main frame of the machine is a bolt I99 (Figures 5 and 6) on which are pivotally mounted'a plurality of bumper blocks 200 and NI having spaced pairs of lugs 202 and 203 respectively, by which the bumper blocks are normally held in vertically aligned superposed position by the spaced lugs 202 on the bumper block 200 engaging the sides of the bumper block 20I,- and by the spaced lugs 203 on the bumper block 20I engaging the sides of the fixed bumper block 205, which latter is bolted to themain frame 33 of the machine. Between the head of the bolt I99 and the top of the bump er block 200 is a spring 204 which permits either one or both bumper blocks 200, 20I to be lifted vertically to release their lugs and enable the bumper blocks to be swung outwardly on bolt I99 as a pivot so that, depending on what size of bottle is to be sealed, the bumper block 200 may be the one to engage the rocker arm I91; or by to one side, the bumper block 2III will constitute block to be engaged by the rocker arm I91; or by also swinging the bumper block 20I to one side, a fixed bumper block 205 will be the one to engage the rocker arm I91. In order to adjust the sealing head for different-sized bottles, the shaft 28I (Figures 5, 6, and 7) carrying the eccentric. I12 will first be rotated to bring the arrow 206 on the eccentric opposite the arrow 201 on the strap I1I, whereupon the crank I10 will be rotated until the pointer 208 comes opposite the proper one of the marks 209 on the main frame of the machine.

In operation, as the eccentric I12 rotates and causes the sealing head I63 to move downwardly, the top rubber pressure ring I 9| engages a cap and presses it firmly down on the top of a bottle, and the outer end of the rocker arm I91, by engagement with one of the bumper blocks, causes the sealing plunger I16 to move downwardly relative to the head I63. This movement of the sealing plunger I16 relative to the head I63 causes the beveled surface I19 to ride along the beveled surface I80 of the segmental pressure ring I8I, thereby causing the segmental pressure ring to contract inwardly, which-latter acthe operatingbeveled surface I19 of the sealing plunger I15 moves upwardly and permits the segmental pressure ring II to be expanded by the rubber sealing ring I98, ready for the next sealing operation. The sealed bottles are forced along past the sealing head and on to the table 2 l 8 within the guard rail 2 by a reciprocating conveyor to be later described.

The means by which the foil strip is given a step-by-step or intermittent feed comprises a frame or bracket 2l2 (Figures 4, 5, 18, 19, 20, and 21) secured to the main frame 33and has a pair of feed rolls 3 and 2. The lower feed roll 2" is mounted in the frame proper and has its end portions 215, which grip the foil, formed plain. The upper roll -2l4 has its foil-gripping portions 2l5 knurled to cooperate with the plain portions 215 of the roll 2| 3 for gripping and feeding the foil. The upper roll 2" is iournaled in a supporting member or holder 2i1 mounted to slide vertically in ways M8 in the bracket 2|2. The foil strip is gripped for feeding by the rolls 2" and 2| 4 by virtue of the weight of the upper roll 2 and its holder 2". A cam lever 2|9 pivoted at .228 on the upper roll supporting member or holder 2I1 is adapted to be swung by hand to cause its cam surface Hi to press onto the surface 222 of the bracket 2l2 to lift the holder 2" to remove the upper roll 2 M from feeding engagement with the foil strip. The feed rolls H3 and 2 have intermeshing gears 223 and 224 by which they are made to rotate in unison as well as to provide a drive for the upper roll 2 I 4. The gear 223 is mounted on a shaft 225 of the roll H3 and is in driven engagement with a gear 225 secured on a shaft 221. Also secured to the shaft 221 is a ratchet wheel 228 whose teeth are adapted to be engaged by a ratchet finger or pawl 229 pivoted at 235 on a ratchet lever 23 I mounted to oscillate on the shaft 221 and to be given its oscillating motion by a reciprocating rod 232 pivoted to the lever at 233. Secured tothe bracket 2l2 at the rear of the feed rolls is a lower shear knife 234 to which is pivoted at 235 an upper shear knife 238 normally held in raised position by a spring 231. Pivoted at 238 on the bracket H2 is a. link 239 having its other end pivoted at 248 to a second link 2, which latter link has its other end pivoted at 242 tothe ratchet lever 23l. Pivoted at 243 on the link 239 is a bell-crank shaped trigger 244 having its lower arm 245 pulled downwardly by a spring 245, thus throwing the upper arm 241 of the trigger against the end of the shear knife 235 and thus keeping the shear knives in good cutting engagement with each other. A tooth 248 on the trigger serves to pull the shear knife 235 down to perform the shearing operation on the skeleton foil strip. A lever 249 pivoted to the bracket H2 at 255 forms a brake shoe which cooperates with a brake shoe25l to frictionally grip the shaft 221 by virtue of the action of springs 252 to prevent overtravel of the shaft 221 during operation of the feed mechanism. When the rod 232 reciprocates to the left (Figure 21), the pawl 229 actuates the ratchet wheel 228 to cause'the feed rolls to feed the strip forward one step. During this feed movement, the link 239 swings upwardly about its pivot 238 carrying the trigger tooth 248 upward away from the shear knife 235. When the rod 232 moves tothe right, the pawl 229 rides idly over the ratchet wheel 228 and the link 239 swings downwardly to cause the trigger tooth 248 to engage the end of the shear shear knives. The severed pieces of scrap foil slide down the chute 253 (Figure 1) into a scrap box or bin 254.

The electric motkr 5 is connected by means of a friction clutch 2 5 (Figure 4) to a shaft 255 (Figure 11) journaled in ball bearings 255' secured in the transmission housing 251 (Figures 3, 4, 11, and 12) which housing is suitably attached to the main frame 33 of the machine. Theshaft 255 has keyed or formed thereon two different-- gear 213 which rotates on a ball bearing 213' secured on a fixed shaft 214 having its ends secured in the housing 251. By sliding the key 255 so as to cause it to engage one or the other of the gears 258 and 25I, two different speeds can be given to the shaft 252' by virtue of the different gear ratios between the sets of gears 258, 288 and 259, 25l respectively. .It will also be observed that by moving the slidable key 255 to an intermediate position where it rests on the separator ring 255, and thus is free from keying engagement with the gears 258 and 25l, the shaft 255, together with the driving motor, will be out of driving engagement with the shaft 252. This permits the shaft 252 to be more readily turned by hand in either direction by means of the hand wheel 215 to move or shift the positions of various parts of the machine for any purpose such as readily threading the foil strip through the machine.

The gear 213 is in driving engagement with a ring gear 215 (Figure 5) which is keyed to a sleeve ring 211 which is rotatably mounted on ball bearings 211' and a shaft 218 which is mounted at its ends in ball bearings 218' secured in the main frame 33. The sleeve ring 211 has formed or secured thereon a gear 219 which meshes with a gear 288 which is secured to a shaft 28! which is mounted in two end roller bearings 28I secured in the frame 33, and in a center ball bearing 282' mounted on the frame 33. The gear 288 is twice the diameter of the. gear 219 for a reason which will be later explained. Keyed to the shaft 218 is a clutch body 282 having a pawl 283 (Figures 5 and 13) pivoted therein and pressed by a spring pressed plunger 284 to cause the pawl 283 to engage a slot 285 in a clutch ring 285 under certain conditions. This clutch ring 285 is secured to the sleeve ring 211 by means of a pin 281 to transmit motion from the rotating sleeve ring 211 to the clutch body 282 which is keyed to the shaft 218 and thus to rotate the latter. When the clutch finger 288 occupies the position shown in full lines in Figure 5, it holds the pawl 283 (Figure 13) inward out of engagement with the slot 285 in the constantly rotating clutch ring 285, thus holding the shaft 218 out of driving engagement. To prevent overtravel of the shaft 218, a.- spring pressed friction brake 289 is anchored to the main frame 33' of the machine at 298 and engages the brake rim 29! of the clutch body. When the clutch finger 288 moves to the dotted line position shown in Figure 5 it permits the pawl 283 to have driving engagement with the slot 285 of the rotating clutch ring 288. The clutch finger 288 is secured to a shaft 292 pivotally mounted at its ends in bearings 292' in the main frame 33, to which shaft 292 a trip arm 293 (Figures 1, 2, and 13) is secured. A tension spring 294 is connected between the outer end of the trip arm 293 and the main frame 33 of the machine. Pivoted at 295 on the trip arm 293 is a swivel 298 to which is attached a cable 291 which passes over a pulley 298 mounted in a pulley bracket 299 fastened to the main frame of the machine. The cable 291 passes around a pulley 399 (Figure 1) and is attached to a sector arm 391 which is secured to an upright shaft 392 (Figures 1 and 3) which is pivoted at its lower end to a bracket 393 which may be mounted, for example, on a bottle-filling machine or on a conveyor which feeds filled bottles to the cap-applying head. The sector arm 391 has a pin 394 adapted to engage the bracket 393 to limit therotational move ment of the shaft 392. end of the shaft 392 is a bottle-engaging arm 395 adapted to be engaged by the bottles as they pass by the arm 395. When the supply of bottles continues' past the arm 395 so as to hold it swung outward,.the cable 291 holds the trip arm 293 up against the action of the spring 294 with the clutch finger 288 in the dotted line position shown in Figure 5 to cause the shaft 218 to be driven. When the supply of bottles fails, the arm 395 is caused to swing inwardly through the action of the spring 294 pulling the trip arm 293 downwardly, thus turning the shaft 292 sufflciently to bring the clutch finger 288 into engagement with the pawl 283 to disengage the clutch and cause the shaft 218 to stop rotating. Inasmuch as the sealing head operates to seal two bottles at a time, whereas the cap-forming mechanism only makes one cap at a time, it is necessary to have the cap-making mechanism operate at twice the speed of the sealing mechanism. The shaft 281 which drives the sealing mechanism through the eccentric 112 and strap 111 (Figures 3, 5, 6, and '1) therefore has the gear 289 (Figure 5) twice the diameter of the gear 219, so that the shaft 218 which drives the cap-making mechanism will rotate at twice the speed of the shaft 281. Secured on the shaft 218 is a cam 395 which operates the pitman 61 which is connected at 62 to the punch 89. Inasmuch as the ram 81 and the punch 39 operate in alignment, it is desirable to have the reciprocating rod 81 (Figure 15) actuated by cam mechanism in the same plane as the cam 398 on the shaft 218. To accomplish this and get the necessary number of operations so that the ram 8| will operate as often as the punch 69, a cam 391 having two opposite cam surfaces 398 and 399 (Figures 5 and 12) is secured on the shaft 281 which rotates at half the speed of the shaft 218. This double cam 391 actuates a lever arm 319 pivoted on the frame of the machine at 311 and is pivotally connected at 312 to the reciprocating rod 81 (Figures 12 and 15) which actuates the ram 8|. The lever 319 is normally held up in contact with the cam 391 by a spring 319'. Secured to the shaft 218 is a bevel gear 313 meshing with another bevel gear 314 secured on a vertical shaft 315 mounted in ball bearings 315' secured in the main frame 33. Secured on the shaft 315 is a shuttle cam 318 which operates the arm 311 of a pivoted rock shaft 318 mounted in bearings 318' secured on the main frame 33, and to which shaft 318 is secured the previously described knock-out arm or lever 96. A

Secured to the upper the upper end of the shaft 315 is a bevel gear 321 meshing with another bevel gear 322 mounted on a shaft 323 to which is secured an arm 324 (Figure 12) which is pivoted to and reciprocates the previously referred to rod 232 (Figures 5, 12, 19, and 1) for actuating the strip-feed and shear mechanism.

As previously stated, the cap-making and applying machine is a self-contained machine or unit which may be operated by supplying filled bottles to it in any desired way. In practice, most economical results will ordinarily be obtained by arranging the cap-making and applying machine to operate in conjunction with a suitable bottlefllling machine, andaccordingly, such a bottlefilling machine has been illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings. The bottle-filling machine illustrated is of the type shown and described in the patent to Strandt et al., No. 1,716,869, June 11, 1929. In order to have the cap-making and applying machine I operate properly in conjunction with the bottle-filling machine 2, the capping heads are removed from the bottle-filling machine and the two machines are connected together by means of a suitable connecting or floor plate (not shown) so as to hold the tables 3 and 4 of the two machines in alignment, and both machines are driven from a common power source, such as a motor 5, on the cap-making and applying machine. The clutch mechanism controlling the motor of the bottle-filling machine shown in the Strandt Patent No. 1,716,869is thrown into neutral position and the sprocket on the main drive shaft of the 1 bottle-filling machine is connected by a chain (not shown) to a sprocket 6 (Figures 4, 12, and 14) on the cap-making and applying machine. The sprocket 8 is secured on a cross-drive shaft 328 mounted in ball bearings 329 secured in a housing 339 bolted to the side of the main frame 33. On the shaft 328 is secured a bevel gear 321 which meshes with the bevel gear 328 (Figure 5) secured to the sleeve ring 211 by the pin 32 5,,which sleeve ring is driven from the motor 5 through the mechanism previously described.

The filled bottles may be conveyed from the bottle-filling machine to the cap-making and applying machine by any suitable conveying means. The particular conveying means illustrated in the drawings comprises a reciprocating conveyor 15 (Figures 1, 28, and 29) having arms or fingers 16 which sweep the bottles two at a time along the table to the cap-making and applying unit.

The particular mechanism illustrated in the drawings for operating the conveyor 15 comprises an oscillating arm 11 driven by suitable gearing, as shown, and as more particularly described in the patent to Strandt No. 1,174,453, March 7, 1916. As the arm 1'1 moves to the right (Figure 28) it pulls a bar 18 to which it is pivotally connected, thus causing the bar 18 to move to the right relative to a bar 19, swinging arms 29 pivoted to the bar 13 at 21 about the pivots 22 on the bar 19,

' and thus swinging the fingers 16 out of contact with the bottles. When the lever 11 moves to the left, it first slides the bar 18 a certain distance in advance of the bar 19 to cause the fingers 18 to be swung into position to engage bottles. Further movement of the lever 11 to the left results in movement of the bottles for a distance equal to twice the distance between two fingers l6. To provide adjustment for different sizes of bottles,

a guide plate 23 is pivoted at 24 to crank arms 26, which latter are pivoted to the tables 3 and 4 at .26 and have their arms 21 pivoted at 26 to a link bar 26. The table 4 is provided with a plurality of holes 36 into which a pin 6| is adapted to be inserted through a hole 32 in the link bar.

The operation 01'. themachine is as' follows:

. The slidable key 266 (Figure 11) is shifted to neutral position to rest on the separator ring 265 to unclutch the shaft 262 from driving engagementwith the motor 6. The hand wheel 215 is then turned any necessary amount in either directionto retract the ram 6| and punch 66, if necessary, to provide a clear passage between them for the strip of foil. The lever 2 I 6 is swung to raise the feed roll 2. The foil strip 31 is pulled from the reel 36 and passed under the slack-providing roller 36. The handle 46 (Figure 36) is then turned to lift the drag felt 42 to permit the strip to be passed thereunder. The arms 56 are then spread apart to permit the strip to be passed between the rollers 46, the strip then being drawn between the ram 6| and the punch 66 and pushed between the feed rolls 2l3 and 2, whereupon the cam lever 2|! is swung in the opposite direction to lower the feed roll 2I4 into engagement with the foil strip. The slidable key 266 is then moved into driving engagement with either gear 266 or 26I depending on the speed desired, whereupon the motor 5 is started in operation. Further variation in speed may be obtained by using a suitable variable-speed motor.

As the filled bottles come in contact with the arm 365. this arm is swung and held outward to actuate the cable 261 to pull the trip aTrm 293 upwardly in such a manner that the clutch finger 266 is swung out of engagement with the clutch pawl 263 (Figure 5) so that the pawl will engage the notch 265 (Figure 13) in the clutch ring 266 which is secured to the sleeve ring 211 by means of the pin 261. Since the clutch body 262 is keyed to the shaft 216 and is likewise positively connected to the sleeve ring 211 through the medium of the engagement of the pawl 263 with the notch 265 in the clutch ring 266, positive connection is established between shafts 216 and 26l by means of the engagement of gear 216, formed on sleeve ring 211, with the gear 266. This constitutes a positive drive between the shafts 26I and 216, whereupon the manufacture of caps will start.

It will be noted on inspection of Figures 5, 11, and 13 that the hand or manual operation of hand wheel 215 will rotate the shaft 26I (Figure 5) and, when the clutch body 282 is positively engaged with the ring 266, also shaft 218. The clutch body 262 will positively engage the ring 266 when the bottle feeler arm 365 extends outwardly as viewed in Figure l. The presence of a bottle in contact with the feeler arm 365 will hold the aforementioned clutch in engagement. Thus, it is apparent that, when the feeler arm 365 is pulled outwardly as viewed in Figure 1 or caused to assume this position by the pres ence of a bottle in contact with said feeler arm, the hand wheel 215 can be manually manipulated to operate the means to feed. strip material and the cap-sealing means independently of the motor-driven means.

In the making of the caps, the feed rolls 2l3 and 2 pull the foil strip a distance of one step through the machine. The slack-providing roller 36 moves upward in the slots 46, but, as soon as the feed movement ceases, the roller 36 by its weight gradually pulls more foil off the reel until the roller 36 again rests in the bottom of the slots 46 so as to provide ample slack between the reel 36 and the drag felt 42 ready for the next step-feed movement of the foil, thus minimizing the breaking or tearing of the foil strip due to the inertia of the heavy reel of foil. While the foil strip is stationary, a blank is punched therefrom and formed at the cap-punchingand forming station by the mechanism previously described as mounted in the frame 54. At the next step-feed movement, the formedcap is pulled along by the foil strip by virtue of its resting in the hole in the strip from which it was punched. When the cap reaches the embossing station it passes down into the vertical embossing guide as previously described. The skeleton foil strip from which caps have been punched and formed continues straight on through the feed rolls 2l3 and 2I4 to be cut into short lengths as scrap by the shear knives 234 and 236, whence the pieces of scrap pass down the scrap chute 253 into the scrap bin 254. After the cap is embossed as previously described, it is pushed by the kick-out lever 66 into the downwardly sloping cap chute I24 along which it rolls to the cap-applying station. As the cap chute I24 is of substantial length, it accommodates a number of finished caps and acts as a reserve supply for a purpose to be presently described.

As the filled bottles are moved along two at a time by the fingers l6 of the reciprocating conveyor I5, the bottles pass beneath the cap-applying head or slide I32 and a cap is automatically applied to the top of each bottle as previously described. When two filled bottles with the caps resting thereon arrive under the double sealing head I63, the latter moves down and seals the caps of both bottles by means of the two sealing plungers I16 and related parts, as previously described. After the bottles are sealed, they are pushed along onto the table 2 l6 within the guard rail 2| I.

Should the supply of foil break or fall between the drag felt 42 and the feed rolls 2I3and 2, the rollers 49 with the arms 56 will swing down to cause the shaft 52 to shut off the current supply to motor 5 and thus stop the operation of the entire mechanism until after the foil supply is again placed in operating condition. Should the bottle supply fail. the bottle-engaging arm 365 will swing inwardly and cause the cable 261 to release the trip arm 293 which is then pulled down by the spring 294 to unclutch the shaft 216 by means of the mechanism previously described. This results in immediate stoppage of the manufacture of bottle caps, but'inasmuch as the capping heads are operated from the shaft 28I which continues in operation, the filled bottles which have passed beyond the bottle-engaging arm 365 will first have caps applied thereon from the reserve supply in the cap chute and will then be properly sealed by the capping head I63. When the supply of bottles again reaches the arm 365, the arm will be swung outwardly to actuate the clutch, as previously described, to again start the shaft 216 in operation, thus again starting the manufacture of caps which continues as long as the supply of bottles continues to pass by the arm I 

